Vehicle-tire.



PATBNTL'D APR. 1 2, 1904,.

N0 MODEL.

WWX

Patented Aprill?, 1904; rj-.1

UNITED STATESl PfAi-livfr' j MICHAEL A. KENNEDY, I i 0E Bos'T "N. l MAS,SACHUserre,V AssIeNofnm, TREDAIR RUBBER COMIANY, OF BOSTON,MAssAoHusErraApo PORATiON oF'NEw JERSEY..l i

l fvEHlcLE-TIE.,

SPECIFICATIO To a/Z whom/ imag/concern:

` Be it known that I, MICHAEL A. KENNEDY, aBritish subject, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk,l Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles-Tires, of which the following is a specification. A

My invention relates to vehicle-tires, and is ntended to provide an elastic and'yielding tire in which the elastic properties of rubber may p be so-utilized as to secure as greata degree of yield inthe tire as maybe desired without saericing the durability or elasticity of the tire.

In tires of th'e pneumatic'class as heretofore constructed While any desired degree of yield may be secured, yet their liability to puncture renders them in some degree objectionable. l This objection is overcome in the solid tires or in" tires of the cushion type; but in both these classes the yield of the tire depends upon the comp'ressibility of the rubber and .is limited thereby.

My present invention overcomes the obl jection inherent .to pneumatic tires, while at thesame time making it.' possible to secure any f desired degreeof yield, as the yield is dependent4 upon the stretch of rubber and not upon removed;- Thesejorifices may-be arranged in vvarious ways without departing from the prin 1 fer'to'arrange them so that they extend oba'A portion of theV tire "and the rim of the wheel.

its compressibility.

3 0 molded andl vulcanized so as to form numer' A ous small orifices or chambers separated by elastic walls sodisposed as to be stretched'by.

To this end my -invention-'comprisesa tire the compressionof lthe-tire and which, there'- fore, utilizes the" retractile I properties of stretched rubber to restore the tire to its nor-` mal shape or'condition when the pressure is ciple of my invention, although I usually preliquely'to the longitudinal axis of the tire. L In the accompanyingdrawingsl `have illus- .-trat'ed some of the forms in which the princi-` .ples of'my. invention may be embodied.

Figure 17 is a central .sectional view through lef-t suliiciently thin to be quite elastic.' The secure 'the desired'degree of compressibilityY in the'tire -instead of, as heretofore, utilizing the compressibility of the rubberitself', asl/in a solid tire, which is very muchl morelimite'd than its distensibility. On thel other hand;.the-wz?` fming' part of'Le/ters Patent No. 757,199, dgt'anpl. l12,1904.;r f Appumionmeatugm24.1900. serum.21927.momqae1-il`f Fig. ai.' is a vertical crossfsectional view of said f modication. Eig.' 5;,is a"longitudinal.sectionv Y Y..

of a lform in which separateblocks-'of rubber .are secured j-tothe gwheelrim. Fig. 6j is ,across-sectional view thereof. Fig. 47 is a `cros`s- 'sectional view of a pneumatic tire whoseltread .portion is filled with my new fabric. 1 I

`In the practice ofmy invention the "rubber `is moldedso as'toform a greati 'numbenof L small tubular orifices or chambersg-rwliich, 4as in the .form shown in-Figs. 1 and .2,extend obliquely from; the baseer inside face a of the* tire to the outsidefaceor'tread The web l' or wall of rubber c surrounding each orifice isl peripheralwall of' the tire maybeof any de-x. sired thickness, the thicknessof this wall inclosing the orices and of all theorifice-walls being determined bythe degreeof elasticity that itis desiredito secure.- -The tread portion of the peripheral wall mayV bel made thicker than the-said base portion, if desired.

It will be' perceived that if one were to press heavilyupon this tire with the thumb that portion of the tire-lying under the thumb `,would be depressed. .This depression mustNY 'Y inevitably be vaccompanied by the stretch ,or'

distention of the webin thefimmediatevr" f cinity of the'portion compressed. Y It will also y. vbe clearthat upon the vremovaliof the pres-.f-

sure *the retractile force of the distended rubber lwallswill operate to cause the tire to re-V `sume its original or normal shape. The principle` ofope'ration therefore consists 1n utlhz-l ing the stretch or distensibility of. vvrubberto return of the tire. to its normal 'shapejl d' tothe retractile. force of the rubber.4 principle isvery` important in practicaF inasmuch as any cellular arrangement wl-n does not employ these inherent properties of the rubber will become speedily broken down, whereas the durability of a tire constructed according to my invention is limited only by the length of time for which the rubber re` tains its elasticity, and in the best grades of rubber these properties under suchy conditions as a tire are subjected to will last indefinitely.

In the practice of my invention it is quite possible and even advantageous to combine the pneumatic principle with the above-dee scribed principle, which characterizesthe varitogether, by -which operation the airis here.

metically confined within the orifices, the line of union between the two sections corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the tire. In

thiscase each orifice is 'quite independent vof the others.

` In Fig. 7' Iliave shown the outer half or .tread portion of the tire filled with a rubber strip of fabric k, constructed accordingtolmy invention, while the inner or base portion of thevtlre 1s left vacant inorder to form 'an airchamber. .In this case I prefer to.-close the inner ends of the oblique orifices by a strip of solid 'vulcanized rubber, as indicated at k. It will of course be understood that .various modes besides those herein referred to of combining the twb principles I'naybeV adopted.

. The durability ofthe tire maybe` increased yby providing it with a textile envelop or sheath the rim ofthe wheel maybe employed.

0', according to the common practiceiin the art,

and I have zshown such an envelop in most of the forms illustrated in the drawings.

Any suitable method of` securing thetire Ato In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a recessed plate z',

'v interlocking with lips or extensions a', a bolt fr serving to draw the plate tightly against' the rim j, so as to firmly clamp the lips or extensions a' between the plate and the rim of the Wheel in Such a manner as to prevent its becoming detached. In Fig. 4 I have shown a somewhat different form in which `the nut of a bolt is embedded in the base portion of the tire, asshown -at l in said figure, while the i bolt itself is passed through the rim and tapped into said nut.

In Figs. 5 and 6I have shown a form of tirev which is made up of a series of lcontiguous blocks p, each block containing the oblique pervforations with the intermediate elastic connecting walls or webs. I have also shown a convenient inode of fastening these blocks to the rim of the wheel. As shown, the rim is provided on each face lwith a projecting plate q, which form, in'conjunction with the rim, a sort of channel inl which the tire is seated.

1The blocks phare secured to strips of canvas fr, the strips being somewhat longer than the blocks themselves, so that they overlap at their adjacent ends. Through these overlapping' ends is .passed a screw or bolt s, which serves to bind the strip firmly to the rim of the wheel. 'The orifices or chambers shown in the various forms illustrated in` the drawings are circular in` cross-section; but it will of course be understood that I do not confine myself to such a shape of orifice. 1

A careful examination of the various forms of tire herein shown and described will make it clear that the compression of the tire at any point must Aexert al pull or vtension upon the connecting-webswhich connect the depressed portion with the portions of the tire immediately surrounding it, and that consequently such depression must result in stretching said Webs 'to a greater or less extent, accordingto the amount 'of compression.

It will be clear that the action is quite different from the action which takes place when the rubber tube is compressed laterally, for in the latter case'the compression .of the tube takes place'without any substantial or appreciable stretch of the rubber itself, the action being to all intents and purposes the same as if the tube were made of leather or some other'non-distensible fabric. This difference is avery radical one, forwhere, as in the case with my invention, the resistance to compression and the tendency to return to the original shape after the pressure has been removed is due to the inherent elastic properties of the rubber itself the fabric will retain its elasticity lso long-asthe rubber itself. remains elastic,

while on the other hand where th1s property of the rubber is not utilized in this way the fabric Will become quickly broken down un'- der'repeated or long-continued pressure and will not resume its original shape. It is to be understood, therefore, that the gist or basic feature of my inventidn is a cellular fabricin which the intermediate walls or Webs 'are stretched when the fabric is compressed,

whereby when the pressure is removed the.

retractile'force of the fstretclied rubber restores the fabric to its normal shape.

W ithout attempting to Vset forth all the changes, in form and construction that may be -made in the practice of my invention or Without attempting to indicate all the modes of its use,`what I claim is l. A vehicle-tire provided with a strip of elastic .vulcanized rubber formed with a series of orifices or chambers extending obliquely from the inner face toward the outer face or tread of the tire, said orifices being staggered referred to A IOO IIO

s with referience to each other so that the Walls of one rdv'v of orifices may be in vertical aline- I' -Wall of the orifice and separates it from the taining the perforations, substantially as de.

scribed.

IIS

adjacent orifices and a sheath or envelop ofI canvas or the like inelosing the rubber con- 3. A vehicle-'tire consisting of Arubber molded and vulcanized so as to form a series of@ tubular orifices or chambers extending ob.

liquely from the base of the tire to its tread,

. each oriiice being surrounded by an elastic web which is stretched when the tire' is comd pressed substantially as described.

4. A Vehicle-tire comprising an air-tight envelop or tube containing next its outer face or tread a strip of rubber having a series of independent inclosed 'orifices .extending at an angle to the longitudinal anis of the tire, and separated from each other by distensible Webs or Walls the inner or base portion of said tube being ,left vacant to form anannular air-chamber substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of August, 1900.

MICHAEL A. KENNEDY.

A In presence of- Gmo. N. G'ODDARD,

JOHN R. KENNEDY. 

